Have you ever come across a watch brand that you had never heard about before but that immediately captivated you? The usual reaction is to go down the rabbit hole, devouring everything available online regarding the brand and its watches. This was my experience when I first heard about Fears. today, I finally managed to get my hands on one to satisfy the curiosity that my research had resulted in. The Bristol-based watch brand has an interesting catalog of designs, but this ice-cold Brunswick in 38mm could be my favorite.
I have long been curious about the Fears brand and its watches. My Fratello colleagues, Thor and Ben, have covered its releases extensively. It’s one of those watchmakers that, despite being quite small, seems to really punch above its weight when it comes to sparking discussion in the watch world. Nicholas Bowman-Scargill leads the brand and is a relative of the original founding family.
SS Great Britain’s launch
It’s no surprise that Fears was founded in Bristol. The port city was at the forefront of British manufacturing in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The great British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel had the SS Great Britain built in Bristol. As has been noted, the SS Great Britain was the “first-ever propeller-driven, ocean-going iron ship, which, when launched in 1843, was the largest ship ever built.” A vessel that marked a tectonic shift in ship design and overseas travel in global history. Bristol, then, was at the forefront of some of the boldest moments in British industrialism and manufacturing endeavors of the last 200 years. And Fears is proudly Bristolian.
It’s all in the family
As many of you may already know, Fears was a British watch company that sadly fell victim to the enormous disruptions in mechanical watchmaking in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. The brand went bust in 1976. It had first been founded in Bristol in 1846. Then, in 2016, Mr. Bowman-Scargill, who is actually the great-great-great-grandson of Edwin Fear, brought Fears back to life.
While the brand has a number of more avant-garde offerings, I am actually most enchanted by its Brunswick collection. You see, I have never really had much exposure to cushion-cased watches. Many brands make them, including Panerai and Farer, but the examples made by Fears more closely resemble something out of the very early 20th century.
The Fears Brunswick 38 Polar White
So when the opportunity arose to get my hands on a Fears Brunswick, I was quite excited. I believe the Fears Brunswick occupies quite a special zone in watch design. In some ways, it resembles the trench watches of World War One. The Fears Brunswick series comes in two case sizes: 38mm and 40mm. The 40 is sportier, with an automatic movement and screw-down crown.
But I ended up opting for the smaller 38 mm version because it’s a more approachable size for me. These Fears Brunswick watches are all dial, which means that even the 38mm case-sized version wears more like a 40, and the 40 wears more like a 42.
Flowing lines to match an elegant dial
Speaking of the case design, when I took it out of the box, I was immediately struck by the elegant use of polished and brushed surfaces to create a flowing design. When looking down at the watch from above, you can see that elements like the lugs are polished, whereas the surface of the main body of the case is brushed, offset by a polished bezel. All in all, it creates an added layer of textural complexity that is delicious to behold.
The watch is dominated by its dial. The dial itself is a hand-polished white lacquer dial from Germany. The case has a habit of receding into the background rather quickly as your eyes adjust to the brilliant white dial and beautiful art-deco black numerals. I appreciated seeing a flat-topped ‘4’ and nicely curled ‘9’ and ‘6’. But even the ‘5’ and ‘3’ have character to them as well, with the slightest hints of curling at the end of the numerals. It is these tiny but very significant design choices that show the brand’s obsession with attention to detail. Take a look at the flat-topped ‘A’ in the ‘Fears’, and you will see what I mean.
A tried-and-tested caliber
The watch is powered by an ETA-7001, which gives the game away with its sub-second complication. The movement is reliable and a known quantity if a little dated in its specifications. The onion-shaped crown is easy enough to grip and wind. The winding is smooth, and as you turn the crown, you can hear the movement winding quite nicely. The push-pull crown is lovely, but I would have preferred to have seen a screw-down crown for a little added peace of mind. That peace of mind takes on new meaning when you consider this is a watch with a water resistance rating of 100 meters. This means that you can (and should) take it swimming.
The Fears is topped with a sapphire crystal, which provides a nicely clear view of the dial. In certain angles, the heat-blued hands will have you goggling (“to stop and look in amazement,” a solid Scrabble word) at them. When you are done staring at the shiny blue, you’ll notice the hands are open-worked in their design. This is a nod to a very old style of watch hands, which I noticed I am not entirely used to. The hands act as mini windows so you can see the numeral they might otherwise mask beneath.
Beauty in deceptive simplicity
If I were to hone in on what makes this Fears Brunswick so attractive, it would be the overall projection of simplicity. This is deceptive, as I can see the levels of complex design choices that went into achieving some of this. However, the impression you are left with is something that focuses on its strength: elegance.
The 20mm lug widths are a bonus, as this design would work well with a number of different strap options. Mine was supplied with a blue leather strap that matched the hands nicely. It was also available on a bracelet, but the watch is incredibly versatile. I could imagine pairing it with a taupe strap for a sportier look. One thing I have yet to mention is that I appreciate how upfront Fears is with where they get each component of their watch from. A quick gander on their website will show where the hands, dial, case, and other components come from. I always appreciate this degree of transparency from a watch brand.
Closing thoughts
The Fears Brunswick 38 in polar white has left me thoroughly charmed. There is something about ‘beauty in simplicity’ which I value as a watch enthusiast. When a brand nails the little details, like font, you know they care about their products. Perhaps that is partly what explains the €3.360 (Including VAT) price tag. The attention to detail, matched by a solid bunch of specifications, makes this a great all-rounder. Sure, I would like to see a screw-down crown and perhaps a slightly smaller dial design, but the watch is a nice one, to be sure.
But what do you think, Fratelli? Is this Fears something you could see yourself owning? Let me know your impressions in the comments.
